Over the next 9 months I will be fishing an entirely new complex known as Cackle hill Lakes. The articles that will follow my time there will feature the tackle and tactics that I adopt. The articles will be blog based and after every session a blog will appear, so in advance I will apologise for any fishless blogs but at least an honest history will be compiled thanks to IT technology. There will also feature conversations with other day ticket anglers that I meet and also as I fish this new venue there will be input from the fisheries new owners, about the fisheries history and more importantly the fisheries future and their own aspirations!

Now Cackle Hill fisheries lies in an area known as the Weald of Kent and the fishery itself lies just off the A274 shortly before you arrive at the charming village of Headcorn. Surrounded by picturesque Kentish countryside the lakes are approached by a direct track that leads to a car park. All lakes are a short walk with the specimen lake being the nearest. The other two lakes are either side of the specimen lake and as this is my first blog I will actually let the owners tell you about their lakes. So Daniel and Thomas Penfold please take it away!

Well there are three lakes in total at Cackle hill 2 of which have been maturing for over 20 years and the third for more than 5years, we have added some new fish to the already well stocked lakes with fish for the specimen searcher, the match angler and the pleasure angler.

The first lake you see on your approach into the fishery is the specimen lake and this is situated in the middle of the complex. The entire lake is well matured with lots of beautiful features e.g. willow trees, lily pads bulrushes and tall grasses.
The lake has islands around which encourage the fish to move around the whole lake.

We have endeavored to make each swim a good size and further ensured that there are unique features in every swim. You will find it hard to choose your swim as each one is very beautiful.

The depths of the lake are approx 6ft -11ft and with carp in excess off 40lb you are indeed spoilt. The catfish also run to over forty pounds.
The match lake is a very beautiful lake situated at the back of the complex, it is kidney shaped with an island at the top end of the water. Although known as the match lake the carp run to thirty pounds plus and the lake responds well to the modern spod and pva approach.

There are 28 well spaced swims each with their own wooden platforms, each swim is separated by lots of interesting plants e.g. Bulrushes, Lilly pads and grasses.

The depths of this lake are 5ft-7ft and good depths in the margins. Thelake is stocked with an abundance of silver fish, carp, tench and even orfe.
The last lake is The mixed fishing lake and is well matured with lots of beautiful trees bulrushes and lily pads, it offers something for everyone from the beginner to the experienced angler. This is the oldest lake on the complex and is stream fed.
This lake is very well stocked with lots of varieties including carp, tench, perch and sturgeon
Last Friday 25/06/2010 I was fortunate to meet the brothers who had recently purchased the complex. And they spent over an hour showing me round the three lake complex and the enthusiasm that they possess was overwhelmingly evident! As I walked round the complex I made the decision to start my campaign on what they refer to as the Mixed Lake. This smallish mature water struck me instantly as a home form home. Deep margins, lilly pads, reeds over hanging trees it has the lot and with carp over 20 pounds it has to be a good starting point. Whilst I walked around the lake I was already considering what tackle I would need to launch my assault on the lakes cautious inhabitants.

I will list the main items and explain why they feature in my armoury.
2 x Korum Precision rods – These rods were a instant hit with me. Their traditional full quality cork handle plus a truly modern through action blank means that these will be my first choice. The use of current rod technology means that they have fantastic through action fish playing capabilities that will allow me to fish at short range and in the margins with total confidence. With the numerous lilly pads, reeds and some snaggy areas the rods steely backbone will allow me to exert maximum pressure if required. Also I will be using braided mainline and with this having no stretch the forgiveness of the blank will act as a shock absorber when pressed into action.

2 x Daiwa SS2600 reels – I have used these reels for what seems a lifetime and their super sensitive clutches will prove an invaluable bonus if I hook a carp! Also the reliability means that again I have total confidence in the Gold Spools! These will be filled braid, which sinks like a stone and will allow me to fish total slack lines. Also the non-stretch qualities will allow me more control over the hooked fish in the confined spaces.

2 x Korum bite alarms, although relatively new these alarms have become an established part of my fishing. The construction is first class and they are sensitive enough to register the smallest movement and as I fish slack lines vital!

1 x Marker Rod and Daiwa SS3000 – Essential kit for feature and depth discovery!

4 x Grippa bank sticks, I love single bankstick set ups and the Grippa sticks are light tough and screw in easily.

As Cackle Hill allows leadcore I will use my usual lead core set up.
Bait will be taken care of by using products from the Sonubaits range.
The new Hemp n Hookbaits range will form the basis of my free offerings as I want to encourage the fish to feed on something different to the normal pva bag approach. This will be bulked out with Halibut and Ellipptical pellets that will breakdown with in the hemp so providing a constant stream of attraction. As for boillies well these will be from the Action Bollie Range.

So there you have it end of part one. I hope the article will have wetted your appetite, part two will see me casting out at Cackle for the very first time